When you hear the name “Jason Richardson” and the word “dunk”, good things tend to follow.
And the Magic just made it official – Jason Richardson has committed to participate in the NBA dunk contest.
No, the original J-Rich isn’t jumping out of retirement anytime soon; his son, Orlando Magic Rookie Guard Jason Richardson II, aka Jase Rich, will be the face representing Orlando in the Dunk Contest.
For the uninitiated, here’s a glimpse of what The OG J-Rich had in store night-to-night
Sometimes the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
How will Jase look in a long line of legendary Orlando Magic dunkers?
The Orlando Magic has a long list of All-Star Saturday Night slammers
February 19, 2022; Cleveland, OH, USA; Orlando Magic guard Cole Anthony (50) and father Greg Anthony (right) during the Slam Dunk Contest during the 2022 NBA All-Star Saturday Night at Rocket Mortgage Field House. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
Jase Richardson will be the 9th Orlando Magic player to participate in the dunk contest.
With ‘The People’s Champ’ Aaron Gordon somehow not leaving the slam dunk contest with any hardware in his three tries, Orlando only has 3 Dunk Contest Champions in its 13 attempts.
Despite Victor Oladipo, Darrell Armstrong, Nick Anderson, Otis Smith, and Cole Anthony all throwing down memorable jams at the event during their Magic tenure, Orlando’s only representatives to win a trophy are Dwight Howard, once, and Mac MClung, twice.
The field is set for AT&T Slam Dunk ⬇️
A new champion will be crowned, with all four players making their event debuts.
Saturday, Feb. 14 | 5 PM ET
NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/QZ3TN9LrzA
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) February 7, 2026
Will Jase Rich right the wrongs of Dunk Contest Judges Past? (we all saw you, D-Wade)
It’s interesting the NBA didn’t land the high-flying Anthony Black for this NBA Dunk Contest after his dunk heard round the world.
Black has sneakily put together an explosive downhill dunk display for his dunk contest resume all season; Anthony Black is up to 51 dunks on the season, ranking 3rd among all guards, while Jase Richardson hasn’t seen the court nearly as often, posting just 4 dunks on the season.
Maybe Black was invited but declined to make sure he stays healthy with a bigger role on the Magic to focus on this season, as he’s in contention for individual awards like sixth man of the year and most improved player.
Richardson is an exciting rookie for the NBA to put on display.
As a prospect who hasn’t played enough to see a Rising Stars invite, this is a cool opportunity for Richardson to still take part in his first All-Star weekend, where the point is to excite fans with rising talent around the association before highlighting the brightest stars in the game on Sunday night.
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